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Photos: Smoke, tension and evacuations follow Superior refinery fire

Authorities said a tank of crude oil or asphalt exploded at the Husky Engery refinery in Superior Thursday, prompting them to order the evacuation of a three-mile radius around the refinery, as well as a 10-mile corridor south of it in the smoke's path.

The fire started after the blast and explosions could be heard throughout the afternoon as firefighters backed away from the scene. Authorities were weighing what to do about asphalt burning at the plant, but by early evening, the fire was put out.

Correction (April 27, 2018): Ulla Gustafsson-Carlson's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.

1A large fireball erupts during a series of fires and explosions at the Husky Energy refinery.Clint Austin | Duluth News Tribune

2A black liquid pours from a ruptured tank, seen from the air Thursday morning.Bob King | Duluth News Tribune3The large plumes of black smoke rising from the oil refinery were a magnet for people looking to record the smoke and flames. Two men walk away after capturing images of the smoke plume with their phones.Derek Montgomery for MPR News4Explosions continue into the afternoon.Derek Montgomery for MPR News5Superior police officer Patrick Deignan (right) talks to Connie Jackson (left) and Gene McGillis (center) about evacuating their homes on Thursday.Derek Montgomery for MPR News6Black smoke rises behind Superior Middle School. School officials suspended class at all public schools, and students were sent to the headquarters of Amsoil where parents waited in long lines of vehicles to pick them up.Derek Montgomery for MPR News7The Husky Energy refinery burns as seen from the air Thursday afternoon.Bob King | Duluth News Tribune8A group of refinery workers evacuate the area around the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery.Derek Montgomery for MPR News9Black smoke rises from the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery.Derek Montgomery for MPR News10White smoke rising from the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery Thursday around noon can be seen from the Rose Garden in Duluth, Minn.Derek Montgomery for MPR News11Onlookers watch a plume of black smoke billow from the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery.Derek Montgomery for MPR News12The Wal-Mart in Superior closed Thursday afternoon as smoke from the nearby oil refinery continued to billow.Derek Montgomery for MPR News13Superior police officer Patrick Deignan goes door-to-door in a neighborhood close to the oil refinery to make sure residents are aware that they needed to evacuate.Derek Montgomery for MPR News14Workers from the Husky Energy oil refinery greet each other after a series of explosions at the facility forced their evacuation.Derek Montgomery for MPR News15Ulla Gustafsson-Carlson packs her mother-in-law's walker into the back of her car while evacuating from their home that was just outside of a mile from the refinery. While Gustafsson-Carlson lives just a mile past the facility, she said she learned that things were dangerous when friends from the Dominican Republic called to ask if she was safe and she realized the loud pops she heard earlier in the morning were something serious.Derek Montgomery for MPR News16Black smoke from the refinery fire can be seen in a neighborhood a mile away.Derek Montgomery for MPR News17Black smoke rises over Superior Middle School after the school was closed and students evacuated.Derek Montgomery for MPR News18Sarah Hamil (right) and Terence Dalbec (left) watch black smoke billow from the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery.Derek Montgomery for MPR News19A series of explosions at the site of the Husky Energy oil refinery resulted in multiple injuries and evacuations for miles around the facility.Derek Montgomery for MPR News20One day after multiple explosions rocked the Husky Energy oil refinery, rain and snow fall on the facility Friday, April 27, 2018 in Superior, Wisc.Derek Montgomery for MPR News21It was quieter on Friday, April 27, 2018 on East 24th Avenue East in Superior, Wisc., one day after the street was clogged with evacuating refinery workers, emergency vehicles and others trying to escape the Husky Energy oil refinery after explosions and fire rocked the facility.Derek Montgomery for MPR News22Jim Mitchell, onsite coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency, talks about the air quality monitoring station setup on North 59th Street and Baxter Avenue in Superior, Wisc.
The station will monitor the air for volatile compounds that may have been released from the Husky Energy oil refinery fire.Derek Montgomery for MPR News23The Environmental Protection Agency set up an air quality monitoring station on North 59th Street and Baxter Avenue to monitor volatile compounds that may have been released from the Husky Energy oil refinery fire. Jim Mitchell, onsite coordinator with the EPA, said eight stations like this one were setup throughout the city to monitor air quality.Derek Montgomery for MPR News